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“It’s done.”
“Do you think so, Tsukki?” he asks as he peeks behind his friend’s shoulder and stares at the small round cake on the kitchen counter. “Are you sure you don’t want to add more strawberries on it? You still have a bunch left over.”
“If I put any more toppings, then the cake would look too cluttered,” Tsukishima replies with a frown.
“So what if it doesn’t look as good? You like it better when there’s more strawberries on it, right?”
“Not really,” the boy shrugs. “There should be a balance between the strawberry and the cream. If there’s too much of the other, then it wouldn’t be as good anymore.”
“You sure are an expert on strawberry shortcakes, Tsukki.”
“I’m not,” his friend grumbles as he reaches for a plate and a fork. “Could you get the knife, Yamaguchi?”
“Sure thing,” he smiles as he opens a nearby drawer and retrieves a plastic cake knife. “It’s good that your mom allowed you to use the oven on your own. This is your first time, right?”
“Yeah. All the other times I tried to bake, she was here to supervise me,” Tsukishima answers as he extends his hand to receive the knife from Yamaguchi.
“Sorry I wasn’t able to help you much in the end,” he says quietly. “I’ve never tried baking before, so I didn’t want to ruin anything for your cake.”
“It’s ok. Being my human egg beater was helpful enough,” Tsukishima says with a teasing smile.
“When you say it like that, it sounds like I hit the eggs with my own fists,” Yamaguchi laughs.
Tsukishima makes a face. His elbow brushes against Yamaguchi’s arm as he sinks the knife into the cake and slices out a portion.
“That sounds disgusting. I don’t even want to imagine what kind of mess you would’ve made.”
Yamaguchi laughs. He keeps a smile as he asks, “Why did you invite me over, anyway, Tsukki?”
The other boy transfers the slice onto the plate, accidentally placing it too close to the edge of the dish. He uses the fork to shave off some of the cream that overflowed from the side, and he takes the excess cream into his mouth.
Yamaguchi smiles as he notes how some of the cream had smudged against Tsukishima’s skin.
Tsukishima gestures towards the plate as he answers, “I wanted you to taste this.”
“Oh?” Yamaguchi says in surprise.
“You weren’t able to try any of the ones I made before yet, right?”
“Yeah,” he says softly as he accepts the plate from Tsukishima. He studies the cake before raising his gaze back to the other’s eyes.
Tsukishima purses his lips and links his fingers before his body. He looks back at Yamaguchi and says, “Let me know if anything doesn’t taste right to you, okay?”
Yamaguchi glances at the other’s hands and smiles as he closes his eyes and leans closer to him. He sets his lips against Tsukishima’s, letting the kiss linger long enough for him to swipe his tongue over the cream that had caught onto the other’s bottom lip. Tsukishima stands frozen in place for a solid moment, and Yamaguchi takes it as an opportunity to take a bite of the cake.
“…I think the cream tasted better on your lips, Tsukki.”
“B-b-be serious!” Tsukishima finally says, his face turning a warm shade of pink. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand as he adds, “If there was something on my face, you could’ve just told me.”
Yamaguchi simply chuckles as he takes another serving into his mouth. He thoughtfully chews on the cake, letting the taste linger on his tongue before swallowing.
“It’s soft and sweet,” he says with a smile. “Strawberry shortcake really suits you, Tsukki.”